Renovations to Etowah Park are in full swing, and a ribbon cutting could be held in late May or early June.
Work crews lost about six weeks due to Helene, Henderson County Director of Parks and Recreation Bruce Gilliam told the Board of Commissioners during their Feb. 3 meeting, but they are still on track to finish the project before the October deadline.
Additions to the park include two pickleball courts similar to those at Edneyville Community Park, 10 fitness stations, a traditional swing set, 21 panels placed along the walking path by the library and the construction of stormwater wetlands.
The most costly addition is all-new playground equipment, with a price tag of $260,000.
“We’re excited about this, to see some movement here. It's going to be a big playground,” Gilliam said.
A walking path will be installed around the playground similar to the Donnie Jones All-Inclusive Playground at Jackson Park.
“Parents can exercise, just as they do at Jackson Park. They love it,” Gilliam said, calling it a win-win. “Watching the kids play, they’re able to exercise.”
Many other amenities are being renovated, including the basketball courts, picnic areas, benches and shade structures. Walkways at the park are being removed and replaced with accessible paths.
Half of the project’s $572,250 cost was funded by a matching grant from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund of $286,125. The remainder of the funding came from the county’s 2024 general fund.
After the playground, the most costly items were surfacing work and the pickleball/basketball courts at $100,000 each, and concrete and drainage expenses of $76,000. Correcting the drainage in the wetland area has been “a hard deal,” Gilliam said, but they’re working to fix the issues.
As part of the PARTF grant agreement, the project must be completed by Oct. 31. But Gilliam said they are well ahead of that date and could hold a ribbon cutting at the end of May or early June.
“Thank you for retrofitting that park to suit those residents, in the area you had to work with, fitting in as much as you could,” Commissioner Sheila Franklin said.
“We tried to give them everything that we could out of that money,” Gilliam answered as he thanked the board for its support.
“When I was campaigning, I knew that was on the list of Etowah residents … it was on their mind, they have been wanting this,” Commissioner Jay Egolf said. “I’ve been to a couple meetings, but it’s really nice to see a lot of good progress.”